Dallas ISD honors Martin Luther King Jr. with 34th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition

DALLAS - Today, Dallas ISD held their 34th annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition. 

Eight fourth and fifth-grade students from Dallas ISD schools competed for the top honor.

FOX 4's Lori Brown was on the scene and has more below.

Local perspective:

This year's winner is Blen Teklu, a 4th grader at Dallas ISD's Preston Hollow Elementary School. 

She wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up, and she says this competition inspired her to carry on Dr. Martin Luther King's Legacy. 

"He once said only in the darkness can you see the stars. This means in tough times we must look for the good, and even more than that, we must be the good," Teklu said in her winning speech.

Blen got some words of encouragement from one of the judges, Dalton Sherman. He became a national sensation after his 2008 speech in the event.

Sherman went on to become a national sensation, featured on the Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres shows. Today, Sherman is an executive coordinator at Deloitte, and he also leads a college and career readiness non-profit. 

The event, sponsored by Foley & Lardner LLP, provided laptops for the eight finalists, and cash prizes. Blen received $2,000 dollars.

The finalists were chosen from 90 Dallas ISD students who entered the competition back in the fall.

What they're saying:

"These inspiring young speakers will deliver original three-to-five-minute speeches addressing the powerful question: "As a student of Dr. King’s life, what message of hope do you think he would have for the world today?"," a press release from the event reads.